xoxo Gossip Girl: Freshman and Sophomore Years
by xAveryRose
Summary: Travel back in time to the NJBC's freshman and sophomore years of highschool. Follow the four friends through the ups and downs, meet new characters and old rivals, discover what happened before the Sheppard Wedding.


**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own anything **Gossip Girl** and I _am not_ affiliated with it. Oh, and the first post from **Gossip Girl** is from the CW not me; I take no claim over it.

**Author's Note:** _None of this actually happened_; I just got the idea one day to do a prequel to the **Gossip Girl **story. This chapter's title reference is **The Breakfast Club**.

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**The Non-Judging Breakfast Club**

_I'm sure you're all wondering who exactly is Gossip Girl. I could be anyone; the girl in your biology class, that boy from the debate team, the Constance Billard janitor… You're all certainly just dying to know. Who could this mysterious person who holds all of the Upper East Side's juiciest secrets possibly be? Well, unfortunately for you, you'll never find out. Fortunately for me, I get the dish on everything that's going on in the world of the UES. Gossip Girl has the latest breaking news compiled by yours truly (as well as the countless, anonymous informants I have all over this city). I'm the gatekeeper to all gossip, rumors and scandals taking place in our small, yet fabulous, section on the greatest island on earth. If you're looking for old fashioned news, try , but if you want the dish on what's happening in my world of New York's young, rich and beautiful then you've come to the right place. Welcome to Gossip Girl. You know you love me._

_xoxo __**Gossip Girl**_

***

Blair Waldorf stared curiously for an extra moment at the text on her phone, wondering who it had been that had sent this to her, but seeing as she had never heard of Gossip Girl before she figured it did not matter, and so, the brunette set it back on top of her vanity and picked up a red headband instead. Gingerly sliding it into her hair, she ran her fingers over her perfect curls before smiling at her reflection. It was the perfect outfit for the first day of high school; every inch of her, from her Dior accessories to her Louboutin flats, screamed wealth. Grabbing up her Marc Jacobs bag and scooping her cell phone into her hand again, Blair bounced out of her room and down the stairs.

Just as she got to the landing, her maid, Dorota, passed by carrying a plate of blueberry muffins. Blair picked one up off of it and headed over to the parlor where her father was seated reading the newspaper next to her mother who was buried in the latest issue of _InStyle_. Her father instantly folded his paper and smiled widely, "and how is my beautiful Blairbear on her first day of high school?"

"I am fabulous daddy," she gushed, "but I can't stay here long; I promised Serena I would swing by early so that we could head over to school together."

"What about Nate; are you going to walk with him as well," Eleanor asked, not bothering to look up from her magazine.

Blair's smile seemed to brighten at the sound of his name "of course," she paused and her smile tightened profusely, "but that, regrettably, means having to stop for Chuck as well."

"Now Blairbear," Harold chided, "the boy is not that bad. Nate seems to find something good in him, maybe it is time you did too."

"Of course daddy," Blair said, not really meaning the words she had spoken, as she opened her mouth to take a nibble off of the muffin.

"Before you eat that whole thing Blair," her mother said, finally looking up from _InStyle_, "I'd suggest a low fat yogurt, you don't want to lose your swimsuit figure."

The brunette paused and pursed her lips into a tight smile, "actually, I'm not even that hungry," she said as Dorota instantly came over so that Blair could set the muffin back down, "I will see you later." The brunette headed for the elevator in the foyer to a call from her father to enjoy her day and that he loved her.

***

"Mom," Serena van der Woodsen called from her room, "where are my black and gray Jimmy Choo's? Blair is going to be here any minute and she will flay me alive if I am late again."

In moments, Lily appeared in the doorway with a steaming cup of coffee and an amused look on her face as she saw her daughter halfway beneath her bed. "They are in the hallway," her mother said, "down by your brother's room."

Pulling herself out from underneath her bed, Serena pushed her long blonde hair out of her face and sat back on her knees with a slightly confused look on her face as she asked, "why are they there?"

"You threw them at your brother last night when you found him in your room," Lily said just as the doorbell rang, "remember?"

Hearing the maid greet Blair, Serena frantically scrambled up and darted down the hallway. "And while you're down there, can you please wake Eric up," Lily called after her.

Grabbing up her shoes, the blonde opened her brother's door as she heard Blair tell her mother good morning. Going over to Eric's sleeping form, she shook his shoulder only to have him grunt and roll over. With a small roll of her eyes, Serena dropped her shoes and replaced them with her brother's comforter and with a quick tug she pulled both the blanket and her brother off the bed. Eric hit the floor with a loud thump, instantly waking.

"Serena," he complained as he rubbed his side and tried to find his way out of the tangled mess around him.

Laughing, Serena ruffled his hair just as his head poked out, "sorry lil' bro', but mom says it is time for you to get up; I am not the only one who has to go to school today," she told him before grabbing up her shoes and hurrying back down the hallway, putting them on as she went.

Blair was standing in the living room across from her mother, immersed in a conversation about the newest décor in the room. "Morning B," Serena said brightly as she walked over, ignoring her mother's lips puckering at the fact that her eldest child had interrupted her conversation.

"Morning S," her best friend responded. For a moment, Blair looked over her, jealousy flickering across her features at how perfect Serena was looking, knowing that the blonde hadn't done much to get the appearance that she had at the moment. The envy was quickly replaced by a plastic smile as she spoke again, "ready to go? We have to stop for Nate and Chuck and I don't want to be late."

"Yeah, yeah," Serena said quickly, pushing her towards the front door, "let's go."

"Don't forget your purse Serena," Lily said as she took a seat on the couch with her coffee before grabbing up a tabloid already turned to page six.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Serena dashed for her room only to have her mother tell her that it was on the kitchen table. Quickly redirecting her path she grabbed it and once more started for the door that Blair was already half way out of. "Have a good first day of high school honey," Lily called, only to be answered with the sound of the front door slamming.

***

With a sigh, Nate Archibald tightened his tie and grabbed his navy school blazer from the bed and pulled it on. As he smoothed it down, he heard footsteps approaching his room and the image of his mother and father greeted him in the mirror. Howard came over and rested his hands on his son's shoulders as Anne stood off to the side and clapped her hands together, her eyes welling with unnecessary tears. Nate repressed a bored sigh; he knew this was coming, but he never understood why his parents thought it important to feign actions when he was merely going to high school.

"You look like an Archibald, Nathanial," his father said, a beaming smile on his face, at the same time, there was a stern look in his eyes that Nate knew all too well, "I know it is only the first day of high school, but I want you know just how proud we are of you. Your mother and I…"

He tuned his father out, as he had done the first day of middle school, and the first day of kindergarten. It was the same speech whenever there was transition in his life; he would be getting this speech in two years when he turned sixteen, and most likely when he turned eighteen, and graduated, and he would probably be getting it on his father's death bed. It was just the constant reminder of the fact that he was an Archibald and he had a lot to live up to, and he better start trying to do that today or else his future would be doomed and he would be the biggest disappointment of the family.

There was the sudden soft clearing of a throat, and the three Archibald's looked over towards the door where one of their maids was standing, "excuse me," she said in a thick accent, "Miss Blair and Miss Serena are here for Mr. Nate."

Instantly stepping away from his father, Nate sent his parents a smile as if to say he was sorry he had to go, but really, he never could have been more grateful for the girls' timing. Grabbing up his bag, he kissed his mother on the cheek before heading out the door and going to greet his waiting girlfriend and friend.

"Morning Natie," the brunette cooed before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Good morning Blair," he responded mechanically, before looking over at Serena, "morning Serena," who smiled in response.

Feeling Blair's hand over his, Nate looked down and then looked up at her with a smile as he laced their fingers together. It was routine, something that, in the beginning Nate had actually been uncomfortable with, but after Blair's continuous insistence that they at least hold hands in public, he had grown used to it. "Come on," he said, "let's go get Chuck." He noticed the roll of his girlfriend's eyes before she led the way out of the door, holding tightly onto his hand.

***

Chuck Bass was leaning against the fence surrounding the courtyard to The Palace Hotel. His eyes were focused on his cell phone, a half burned cigarette hanging between his lips. By chance, he happened to look up just as his friends stepped into the courtyard. Blair was clinging onto Nate as if he was her life line, causing Chuck to roll his eyes. Serena and Blair seemed to be immersed in a conversation, and it was Nate that noticed he was standing there. Pulling the girls over, Blair's eyed him from head to toe, and while he knew that he looked amazing, her nose crinkled in disgust.

"Speaking of gross," she commented to Serena, obviously mentioning something about the conversation they had been having.

With a smirk, Chuck tucked his phone into his pocket and stepped towards her, "if you didn't think I was Waldorf, I would have to question if you were on drugs," he shot at her before he reached up and grabbed the cigarette from in between his lips and blew a puff of smoke into her face.

Over exaggerating a cough, the brunette waved her hand at the smoke in front of her nose and sent one of her infamous glares at him. His lips continued to curl into a smirk and when nothing was said, Blair shot a look at her boyfriend who frowned for a moment, brow furrowed as if wondering why she was looking at him that way, until she once more waved a hand in front of her face. Chuck knew exactly what she was trying to get across, and he wanted to see if his best friend was going to jump through the hoop or actually ignore her demands for once.

"Come on man," Nate said, finally getting it, and speaking about it much to Chuck's dismay, "cut that out."

With a heavy sigh, Chuck nodded and dropped what was left of the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it. He caught the bright smile and the cutesy little kiss between the two just as he looked up, causing another roll of his eyes. "And you think I'm gross," he muttered, "try having to see that nauseating shit you two constantly do."

At his words, Serena giggled and quickly covered her mouth with her hand when Blair shot another of her withering looks at her before glaring over at Chuck. "You're just jealous because you live an empty shell of an existence because you don't have what we do."

"And I am thankful for that everyday," he commented, stepping around her and starting out of the courtyard.

"Don't let him bother you," Nate murmured, kissing her forehead before the other three started to follow Chuck.

The four friends headed towards the school, Blair constantly holding onto Nate's hand and Chuck continuously shooting sarcastic comments around. As the approached the school, Serena commented on how they were still a little early to head into school. So they headed over to the Met and climbed the steps before taking a seat near the top.

"So, did anyone else get that text this morning," Serena suddenly asked.

"You mean the one from that Gossip Girl or whatever," Nate responded.

"You got that too," Blair inquired.

"Yeah, I got it too; I was reading it before you guys showed up," Chuck said as he pulled his phone out to open it to the very message.

"Well I apologize if we interrupted; I know how long it takes you to read," Blair said with a small smirk.

"Cheap shot," Chuck mumbled, a deep frown setting in on his face as it always did whenever someone took a swing at his lack of care about intelligence.

Serena and Nate shared one of their annoyed looks before the blonde started speaking, "does anyone really get what it was about?"

"Gossip," Blair said bluntly.

"No shit Sherlock," Chuck said sarcastically.

Blair opened her mouth to shoot a retort back at him, but before she could, a shadow fell over the small group of friends and the sound of a rather irritated throat clearing stopped her. Instantly, the four friends looked up to be greeted by the sight of a group of girls, one of them, a tall brunette, who seemed to be more forward than the other girls, was clutching the designer purse on her shoulder and had her eyebrow kinked.

"Can we help you," Blair asked.

"What exactly do you think you are doing," the one at the front of the group asked, each word pronounced as if what they were doing was a public offense and common knowledge of what not to do.

"Sitting," she said plainly.

The girl pursed her lips, her hand falling from her shoulder to her hip, "clearly; I meant what are _you_ doing sitting all of the way up here? Nobody sits higher than me."

Blair raised her eyebrows in amusement, "well, _we_ clearly are."

The girl's eyes seemed to flare with anger at the fact that this freshman girl was attempting to stand up to her. "Who exactly do you think you are," she asked, peering intensively at her.

With a roll of her eyes, she stood, bringing herself to stand just a little bit taller than the girl, "I am Blair Waldorf," she said with a smirk.

For a moment, the older girl was taken back by the confidence of the younger girl and she lost her voice. The two stared at each other and everyone else shifted around uncomfortably, except for Chuck who was watching with interest, before the other girl finally managed to speak, "well, if I were you I would watch who you challenge Blair Waldorf…you wouldn't want to get on anyone's bad side."

Blair scoffed, "is that supposed to scare me," she asked, already knowing the answer. Pausing, seeing that the girl opposite her fold her arms across her chest, she smirked, "because you certainly do not scare me. Come on guys, we're going to be late for class."

Instantly, Nate scrambled up, slowly followed by Serena, and lastly, Chuck. Blair took her boyfriend's hand and bumped purposely by the girl and her friends with Serena and Chuck following in suit, and as the four friends descended the steps of The Metropolitan Museum the other girl turned and glared at the small group.

***

**Spotted:** _One Blair Waldorf going toe to toe with the queen of Constance Billard; I don't think the school is going to know what hit them when she's done. Get out of her way or watch her take you down._

***

"So did you guys get another text from Gossip Girl," Nate asked as he took a spot next to Blair at the table in the courtyard between Constance Billard's and St. Jude's.

Chuck looked up from his cell phone, "what tipped you off Nathanial," he drawled lazily, nodding to his cell phone and the other two that were lying out on the table.

"Stop being such an ass," Blair shot at him, "it was just a question."

"Stop picking at your food Blair," Chuck retorted as he motioned towards the salad that she had been picking at since she had sat down, "you know you are actually supposed to put it in your mouth and swallow."

She immediately dropped her fork and pushed it away from her, and Chuck rolled his eyes at her inability to respond to anything when it came to mentioning her eating, or lack of such an action. He returned to his cell phone as the others fell into conversation about their first couple of classes. Blair went on and on about all of the fashion faux pas she had seen, and Serena talked about all of the "friends" she had already made, and Nate just complained about how hard his classes already seemed.

"Chuck Bass," suddenly came a voice from somewhere behind them and Chuck turned over his shoulder to see Carter Baizen coming towards them. With a grin, he stood and greeted his friend.

"I wondered when you were going to join me here you freshman," he joked, causing Chuck to shake his head with a laugh as Carter caught sight of the two girls at the table, completely ignoring Nate.

"And who are these two lovely ladies," he asked moving towards them.

"That is Serena van der Woodsen," Chuck said with a nod at the blonde, "and that is…"

"Blair Waldorf," Carter finished, looking at the brunette, "everyone is talking about you."

A small smile of pride flickered across her features, "really?"

"Well, yeah," Carter said, sliding into the seat that Chuck had been previously occupying, "everyone' is talking about how you went head to head with Berkeley."

She paused, "her name's Berkeley? As in the college?"

He laughed, "yeah, don't worry; I think it is a pretty ridiculous name too."

There was a pregnant pause of awkward silence before Carter cleared his throat, "so, Blair," he started when his words were rudely interrupted.

"Carter," Berkeley said sharply, appearing as if out of nowhere, "what do you think you are doing?"

He sighed and looked over at the girl that had just butted in, "well, before you interrupted _sis_, I was about to ask Blair out on a date…"

"I have a boyfriend," she said, interrupting him, with a smile as she reached across the table and took Nate's hand in her own.

"See, she has a boyfriend, not to mention you should not be dating anything lower than you already do."With that, Berkeley flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away, a small group of minions following behind her with Blair's eyes burning holes in the back of her.

"Don't worry about her," Carter said looking back at the brunette across from him, "if Berkeley tries to tear you down it just means she sees you as a threat."

"Well, trust me, I am definitely a threat," she murmured.

***

After school, the four friends headed over to The Palace and up to Chuck's suite. Blair and Serena were stretched out on the couch and Chuck and Nate were behind the bar. Chuck looked over at the girls who seemed to be immersed in a world of their own. He opened a drawer that was behind the bar counter and pulled out a small baggie filled with none other than weed. The motion caught Nate's eye and he raised his eyebrow, "Carter," he murmured quietly, watching his best friend respond with a nod, but before they could break into it, Serena's voice broke the silence barrier between the two pairs.

"Hey Chuck," she said casually, "you can get the pool area closed off can't you?"

"Of course," he said with a small, haughty smirk, "it is my father's hotel."

Sitting up completely, the blonde grinned as she ran her hands over the white dress to smooth it down, "good, because I just invited a few people over for a private party."

***

On the Upper East Side, just because a party was private it never meant that there would be less people; it was just exclusive. And that was always how Serena's parties tended to be, because the few people that she had invited, turned out to be more than just a few.

There were teenagers littered around the pool, some standing, some sitting on the edge dangling their feet in the water; none of them had bothered to bring their bathing suits. Then there were the people that were in the pool, whether they had decided to abandon their clothes or not. Most people had a drink in their hand, and if they didn't, they either had a cigarette, a joint, or a cell phone to invite more people.

Serena was stationed at one of the edges of a pool, a martini in hand, surrounded by a bunch of guys. She flirted with each one, and each one seemed to be undressing her with their eyes.

Blair was off to the side, holding onto her own martini and talking to a few girls about the latest in fashion and how she always had the privilege of getting the newer things before anyone else because her mother was the great Eleanor Waldorf.

Nate and Chuck were off in a corner with Carter Baizen who had brought some of his good weed with him, and the three of them, plus a few other guys, were currently smoking it.

Berkeley had decided to come because she figured that parties really only started when she arrived; it infuriated her to find that the party was already in full swing when she did walk in, and the center of attention was that group of freshman. The only happiness she took from that sight was that it wasn't the snooty brunette that was getting all of the attention, but it was her blonde friend instead, and the happiness she got from that didn't do much for her because very few people paid any attention to her.

Blair, while deeply rooted in a conversation about how much better she was, was constantly taking in her surroundings, and it was mid sentence about the last fashion show her mother had where she had met Giorgio Armani, when she noticed what was going on in the corner where rambunctious laughter was echoing from. One of the boys had moved out of the way for a few seconds, and she had caught sight of her boyfriend getting high. Now this was the sort of behavior she had expected from his counterpart that was conveniently beside him, but Blair had always made it perfectly clear just what she thought of Chuck's bad habits. It wasn't the smoking the bothered her, but it was more the fact that her boyfriend was doing it no matter how many times she told him that she would think it disgusting to have to kiss him after he had taken a few hits.

With a huff, she failed to excuse herself from the group and stormed over to her boyfriend and yanked the joint out of his mouth and flicked it off to the side. "Just what in the hell do you think you are doing Nathanial Archibald," she asked angrily, not bothering to lower her voice.

Nate, despite the fact he was high, seemed to become an obedient dog whenever Blair came around, and so he simply dropped his head as a dog would place their tail between their legs. But Chuck, on the other hand, let out a low chuckle. "Don't get your La Perla's in a twist princess," he said, "Nathanial here was only having a bit of fun."

"A bit of fun," Blair echoed. Her eyes were filled with anger and disgust. "The last thing I want is for Nate to have the same kind of fun you do, because I know where your fun leads: cheap, half drunk sluts in your bed." By now, Blair had pointed her finger at him, and was actually, rather painfully, poking it in the center of Chuck's chest. She looked like she wanted to say more to him, like she wanted to just rip into him, but she felt a hand on her arm and looked over to see Serena behind her.

"Blair, you're causing a scene," she said, and in fact, several people had halted their conversations to watch what was going on.

Biting her lip for a moment, the brunette turned her gaze back towards the boys, glared once more at Chuck before grabbing onto Nate's arm and pulling him out of the chair. She hadn't taken five steps when Chuck's voice sounded behind her. He didn't care if he caused a scene, in fact, he relished on it. "Is that really why you don't want him around me Waldorf? Or are you afraid that he is going to find a more satisfying way to spend his time rather than watch _Tiffany's_ with you and hear about your future wedding plans?"

Her teeth clenched and slowly, Blair turned around to face him, "excuse me," she said tightly as Chuck stood up and made his way over to them.

"You heard me," he said, his evil smirk plastered onto his face, "you are terrified of losing Nate to someone that isn't as uptight as you are, someone who is actually willing to put out." Chuck had struck home. Ever since they had discovered that he was a nympho, Blair could see the rising question in Nate's eyes as to when he would have something similar, and that bothered her deeply. Chuck had lost his virginity, and it was clear that Serena had as well and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Nate was ready to get rid of his…so what was her problem?

The current queen of Constance had been watching them ever since she had walked in. She was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and now that they were near the water's edge, bickering, with several pairs of eyes watching the spectacle she knew that she wasn't going to get any better time than this. With her friends behind her, she strode over to the group, dead set on making sure that this girl didn't attempt to challenge her again.

It happened before anyone could realize what was going on. One minute, Blair was standing there, arguing with her friends, and the next she was in the pool and Berkeley was glaring down at her. "Have you learned your place yet freshman," she asked, venom laced in her voice.

Serena, having witnessed the whole thing, could see the look on Blair's face. The brunette was humiliated, and if it stayed like that any longer than she would leave this room in a huff only to burst into tears the minute she was alone. Serena may have been slightly irritated with her best friend at the moment, but there was no way she was going to let some senior bitch tear her down, especially not after the things that Chuck had just said to her. "Maybe it's time you learned yours," she said, drawing the older girl's attention just as Serena mimicked what she had just done to Blair, only this time Berkeley grabbed on and pulled Serena, white dress and all, into the water with her.

When the two girls resurfaced, Berkeley screamed and hit the water angrily, causing the two younger girls to flinch away from the splashes. "Just who in the hell do you think you are," she yelled at the blonde.

Serena, thoroughly amused at this display only shook her head, "I'm Serena van der Woodsen, and that," she said, nodding over her shoulder at Blair, "is my best friend." She was going to make sure that everyone knew that Serena would do anything to protect her friends.

With another scream of frustration, Berkeley yelled at her friends to help her out of the water, and when they pulled the soaked girl out of the water she merely stomped away, pushing a few people out of the way as she did so. Several people watched her leave, ignoring Nate as he helped Blair out of the water, but the moment Serena pulled herself out of the pool, the attention was back on her.

Had it been anyone else, there would have been a collective gasp and a gaggle of laughter, but at first there was just silence, and then they started to clap. Not just because the freshman girl standing before them had managed to take Berkeley Baizen down a few notches, but because the freshman girl before them had just climbed out of the pool in a white, see through dress.

It took only a few moments, but instantaneously, every cell phone in that room went off, and every cell phone outside of it as well. Each phone had the same exact message, and each person had the same exact question: who in the world was Gossip Girl?

***

_Well Upper East Sider's, it seems as if I came at the right time. Before today, your lives were mediocre in interest, the gossip was merely spread by word of mouth, but now you have me. And I'm here to tell you that I'm here to stay, and I'm looking to take Manhattan over by storm. And I don't seem to be the only one: Upper East Sider's, meet Serena van der Woodsen. You know you love me._

_xoxo __**Gossip Girl**_

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**Author's Note: **If any of the Gossip Girl was confusing, I apologize. To explain though, the first couple of messages were only to Blair, Chuck, Nate, and Serena. The very last message was to everyone else to truly establish who Gossip Girl was. Anyway, I hoped you liked it, and I would love to hear what you think of it (to tell me, press that nifty little review button.) This story will be finished no matter what, and once I publish this chapter, I'm going to start on the next one: **When Serena Met Georgina**.


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